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Krissy H. Snyder
Founder and Executive Director
Krissy initially launched the idea of Wildflower Cottage for Children after 16+ years directing at another program. During that time, she expanded the preschool program…
Jordan Savage
Teacher, Preschoolers
Jordan’s work centers around his belief that young children and adults are really quite similar to each other. They both get swept away by the…
Caton Cobb
Support Teacher, Preschoolers
Caton is from Roxboro, North Carolina. She recently graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Child Development (with a focus in Pre-K/Kindergarten and…
Saskia McPhail
Support Teacher, Preschoolers
Born and raised in Germany, Saskia grew up in the beautiful Rhineland area. After graduating from high school, she moved to Cologne to study German,…
Viola Bestmann
Teacher, Preschoolers & Curriculum Specialist
Viola feels continuously inspired by how children discover the world and the people around them with an open heart, a curious mind, and a never…
Lily Villeda
Support Teacher, Preschoolers
Lily was born and raised in Honduras. At the age of 16, she moved to Durham with her mother. Lily is now working toward an…
Kelly Walker
Teacher, Middlers
Kelly grew up in the small coastal town of Beaufort, SC. She graduated from Appalachian State University in 2019 with a degree in Child Development…
Joselin Vargas Cruz
Support Teacher
Joselin was born and briefly raised in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. She moved to Durham, NC at the age of 9 and has since…
Harley Gant
Teacher, Middlers
Harley grew up in the western part of North Carolina—in Taylorsville. She studied Psychology at Western Carolina University and then decided to move to the Durham/Chapel…
Elizabeth Goodier
Support Teacher, Middlers
Elizabeth holds a BA in biology and has been teaching for five years. At the Audubon Society, she cared for local ecology as a naturalist,…
Shaina Riley
Teacher, Toddlers
As a life-long learner, Shaina strongly believes that positive experiences in early education will foster a love of continued education. A strong partnership between parent…
Destanee Tugwell
Sometimes Teacher
Destanee was born in Wisconsin but grew up around Hillsborough, NC where she met her husband. In September 2020, they welcomed their first child–a daughter,…
Catalina Gonzalez
Toddler Teacher
Catalina was born in Tijuana, Mexico. She moved to the United States in 1996, spent 9 years in Racine, Wisconsin, and then moved to North…
Lyla Kolman
Support Teacher, Toddlers
Lyla grew up in the Chapel Hill, NC area. As a lover of learning who never felt engaged by “traditional” school settings, she is thrilled…
Lisa Greene
Support Teacher
Lisa was born and raised in North Carolina. Lisa completed her Associates Degree in Dental Hygiene at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2010. She also has 20+years of…
Barbra Laird
Music Teacher
Barbra is happiest when she is enjoying activities with her husband and three sons. But, running a close second is sitting on the floor with…
Megan Pender
Creative Consultant
When Megan thinks about Wildflower Cottage, she sees many elements that inspire children to create. She treasures the program’s reverence toward “the hundred languages” of…
Tyler Smith
Sometimes Teacher
Tyler was born and raised in Greenville, NC. He joined the United States Air Force in 2010 and medically retired in 2019. He is engaged…
Yannick Williamson
Sometimes Teacher
Yannick has enjoyed working with children throughout life. While he was still in elementary school himself, Yannick was chosen to be a “mentor” to a…
Larissa Oryshkevich
Sometimes Teacher
Originally hailing from New York City where she earned her Bachelor’s in Dance Education, Larissa opened up a family child care business almost 28 years…
Diana Shoaf
Sometimes Teacher
Diana has lived in Durham since 1972, and raised her three children into adulthood here. While they were young, she was active in their classrooms…
Board of Directors
In order to provide a lasting, community-based school for generations to come, Wildflower Cottage for Children, Inc. is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. The non-profit status helps us to remain transparent to all stakeholders—parents, teachers, and charitable donors. All can rest assured that funding goes directly toward supporting the program, staff compensation, and our children's education.
Our founding Board of Directors is comprised of local, professional men and women. Each brings a unique perspective and experience to their role: business management, finances, accounting, law, human resources, education, health care, occupational safety, insurance, advertisement, education, real estate, grant-writing, counseling, etc.
